Regents approve schematic design, budget for Shepherd Softball Center

Submitted by Michigan Athletic Public & Media Relations

The Board of Regents approved the schematic site plans and budget for the new Donald R. Shepherd Softball Center on Thursday.

The design for the center, released for the first time to the public, shows a three-story, 10,200-square-foot building that will include locker rooms, coaching and support staff offices, a team meeting room, athletic medicine and fitness spaces, hydrotherapy pools and support space.

The budget for the project is $5.3 million, revised from $4 million since October. The center will replace the current softball building adjacent to Alumni Field. The Shepherd Softball Center is part of the department’s South Campus Athletics Plan.

"We have a fantastic facility now, and the University of Michigan and David Brandon continue to strive to make us the best," said head softball coach Carol Hutchins.

"The Donald R. Shepherd Softball Center gives us an opportunity to be better than ever at Alumni Field. We're looking forward to having all of our workspace in one environment. It will give us more interaction with our student-athletes. I'm truly excited about it."

"We are appreciative of the donors to this facility and their contribution to the student-athletes who compete on the softball diamond," said Dave Brandon, the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics.

"Don Shepherd and the Wilpon family have been great supporters of our athletic department in many different ways through the years. Mary Petrovich is a major part of the Michigan family as both a softball alumna and donor to our programs. We applaud her contributions and willingness to give back to the program and university that helped shape her life."

The center will include many new amenities not found in the current softball building. Guests will be treated to a Hall of Fame located adjacent to the first floor entry. Athletic training will be enhanced with the inclusion of two new rooms, including hydrotherapy. The coaching staff will move its offices from Weidenbach Hall to the Donald R. Shepherd Center with space looking into Alumni Field from the second floor.

There will be several new team meeting areas on the second and third floors to promote team activities and off-the-field video study. A roof terrace on the third floor of the facility will provide unparalleled views of Alumni Field and the entire Wilpon Complex.

The project now will be open for bidding, with construction planned to begin at the conclusion of the 2013 softball season. The building and renovations are scheduled to be completed in the winter of 2014.